Chris Harris wrote in EVO Magazine, “The seven-speed transmission is very clever too. Ostensibly, it’s a hybrid automatic/manual that locks up once under way. It’s Merc’s alternative to a double-clutch system, and I’m a big fan. It creeps in traffic far more predictably than those ’boxes and even though it doesn’t manage the same seamless shifts, it’s still crisper than any other conventional auto I’ve driven – with the added bonus of a full manual mode that uses two steering-wheel paddles.

And, in manual mode, the SL63 is a surprising drive. It steers, handles and goes quite unlike the car it replaces. As an everyday drive, it’s a fabulous all-rounder. The cabin is completely intuitive and the moment the sun comes out you can drop the hood…”